Prospects in working life and the effect of information

Last registered on April 06, 2022

View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title

Prospects in working life and the effect of information

RCT ID

AEARCTR-0009117

Initial registration date

March 18, 2022

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published

March 21, 2022, 1:13 PM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Last updated

April 06, 2022, 8:25 AM EDT

Last updated is the most recent time when changes to the trial's registration were published.

Locations

Country

Germany

Region

Primary Investigator

Name

Eva Kleifgen

Affiliation

IAB Nürnberg

Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name

Gesine Stephan

PI Affiliation

IAB Nürnberg, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg

Contact Investigator

PI Name

Thomas Dohmen

PI Affiliation

Universities of Maastricht and Bonn, IZA, ROA

Contact Investigator

PI Name

Steffen Künn

PI Affiliation

University of Maastricht, IZA, ROA

Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status

In development

Start date

2022-05-25

End date

2023-12-31

Keywords

Labor

Additional Keywords

info-treatment, reorientation, job search

JEL code(s)

J24, J62, J64

Secondary IDs

Prior work

This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.

Abstract

The project examines the impact of information on prospects in working life - in terms of opportunities for professional reorientation. Randomly drawn individuals receive information and an access link to the Federal Employment Agency's online exploration tool New Plan - Inspirieren. New Plan - Inspirieren is designed to actively support people in their search for career reorientation opportunities. To this end, information on alternative occupations, such as earning potential, employment opportunities and job availability, is provided in a clear and individually tailored manner.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation

Dohmen, Thomas et al. 2022. "Prospects in working life and the effect of information." AEA RCT Registry. April 06. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.9117-1.1

Sponsors & Partners

Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)

The intervention consists of
i) informing a treatment group by postal letter about an online tool by the German federal agency, which provides information about reorientation and returns to occupational mobility and
ii) an online survey

Intervention Start Date

2022-05-25

Intervention End Date

2022-06-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)

knowledge about job alternatives and potential support measures;
Occupational and regional mobility;
Employment and earnings;
Job search;
Preferences and awareness regarding occupational and regional mobility

Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)

Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

30.000 employed and 45.000 unemployed will be informed by letter about the online tool New Plan, which provides information about reorientation and returns to occupational mobility. The letter contains an individualised QR-code and link to a webpage, asking for consent to track participants' search behavior within the online tool and afterwards forwarding participants to the online tool.

Three weeks after the intervention, these 75.000 treated and a control group of further 75.000 persons will be asked by postal letter to take part in an online survey covering their knowledge and usage of the online tool, job search strategies, knowledge about outside options and personal characteristics.

Linking the data gathered via tracking and the survey to the Integrated Employment Biographies (IEB) data, effects of the information provision on occupational mobility and other indicators for labor market integration may be estimated for the treatment group, the survey-control group and a third group receiving neither information nor a survey link.

Experimental Design Details

Randomization Method

by computer

Randomization Unit

Individual

Was the treatment clustered?

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters

150.000 individuals

Sample size: planned number of observations

150.000 individuals

Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms

Sample of employed: 30.000 info-treatment + survey, 30.000 survey control, 30.000 control group.
The sample consists of 1/2 randomly drawn employed and 1/2 oversampling of persons in helper occupations.

Sample of unemployed: 45.000 info-treatment + survey, 45.000 survey control, 45.000 control group
The sample consists of 2/3 randomly drawn unemployed and 1/3 oversampling of persons without an educational degree.

Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)

Supporting Documents and Materials

IRB